21st Century Tokyo Konoha International High School
by mespreferes
Summary: AU, Konoha is one branch of the International Schools within Japan. We follow Haruno Sakura, a student in her final year, as the schools are threatened and while the senior students deal with growing up, choosing their future, and possibly love.
1. Chapter 1: The calm before the storm

**21st Century Konoha**

Author notes:

 _Hi, I've been absent from the fanfiction community for a long time. I wrote my first "Konoha High School" AU fic when I was 14 after experiencing exchange in Japan. Since then reading certain "Konoha High School" fics were difficult because they didn't prove any accuracies with a true Japanese High School Experience. Now, at 21, I've experienced a little more, I've decided to write this fic which would be adapting key plots from the original Naruto Universe into a more realistic setting. I really hope you all like my interpretations of our beloved characters, it's been a long time since I've written and hopefully the chapters get better as time passes._

 _This will be the development of all the Naruto Canon Pairings, but be warned - Sakura will be the Heroine of this fanfic and we will follow her POV so we will only see the couples and characters that would revolve around her world._

 _Another note, I am unsure how long it would take to finish this fic and I really hope I don't abandon it before I reach the conclusion I would like._

 _This is the introductory chapter, to set up the characters, setting and backstory. Sorry if the story progresses too slowly in the first few chapters!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter One: The calm before the storm**

The sunlight was warming up the little room as a young student was carefully being tended to by their senpai. Outside, the yelling and the patter of storming feet on a basketball court echoed into the room.

"Arigatou Sakura-Senpai!"

"Don't worry about it. Just be cautious of your surroundings and maybe avoid the basketball courts... Boys tend not to be as careful as you think"

"Uh... yeah"

The junior smiled to herself. She made a small nod before a loud thump was heard. Their eyes directed at the windows as they saw the window panels rattle. Of the two, the elder kept her eyes directed towards the window. Her shoulder length pink hair framed her face while she tilted her head. She let out an audible sigh before commenting with her eyes closed.

"See what I mean. Now, quick, go get to class. Your free period will be ending soon".

She was off, gave a courteous nod and left through the only door of the room. A second loud thump came. Sakura, who was once sitting on the stool on the opposite side to the window had abruptly left her station. In a matter of seconds she was by the window, had unlatched the lock and swiped the basketball as it flew in. She pressed into the rubber ball between her fingers before slowly turning her eyes outside. Her eyes focused on the obvious culprit.

"NA-RU-TOOOOO"

Her screech came out. Her eyebrows furrowed together. The glint and the aura of her person had switched from the kind atmosphere she had just minutes earlier. His name echoed down the court. The young blond flinched and hesitated to run away or stay put. It was his name that was called amongst his friends. Though it was most likely their shared effort for the basketballs trajectory towards the window, it was always his name attached to the guilty party.

"OH SAKURA-CHAN! OHAIYO! Aaa... can we have our ball back please?"

"You can grab it back when I see you in class!"

The window would rattle for the last time, as Sakura locked the window and pushed the basketball into our tote bags of books and pens. The boys outside watched as their plaything vanished.

As Sakura began to clean up from her last job, she could hear that the confiscation of the ball had caused a rally against Naruto outside. She didn't seem to feel too sympathetic about her actions. He was such a troublemaker, but was well loved by his peers now. She finished rolling up the spare bandages and signed off her shift for the sick room. She scrawled onto a spare sheet for the next Student First Aid officer.

She closed the door behind her and began walking towards the closest staircase. This was her final year at Tokyo's Konoha International High School. Haruno Sakura had followed through since her infancy in this family of schools. It was complete with an elementary school, junior high school and of course the high school. The school didn't end there, as many universities and colleges had set up partnerships with the school for a smooth transition for students interested in tertiary education. (Which, everyone was.) For an international school, it had a large body of students, with 100 students in each grade. But that is no surprise as it was set up in the capital of Japan. Though their numbers were easily shadowed by the public schools in the area, how could the students of this school possibly join the public system.

Like most students in the TKIHS, they enrolled at a young age due to their parent's employment. Students had an array of interesting birth certificates from both within Japan and abroad. Sakura had been accepted with dual citizenship of United Kingdom and Japan. Because of this, she had flown back and forth most of her life until she found stability when junior high school began. Her father worked as a diplomat for the Embassy while her mother found work in translating Japanese to English for tourist departments. Her parents had originally hoped their pink haired daughter could join regular students in the public system but it wasn't flexible enough for their return visits home. Plus, this high school taught in both Japanese and English, so students had the advantage of becoming bilingual (or multilingual depending from where they were from).

As Sakura had her right foot on the first step of the staircase, she heard the sound of running footsteps on the other side of the staircase.

"Ah! Sakura!"

"You're late Ino-Pig. I've left the notes on the table for your shift!"

This 18 year old blonde standing before her was Sakura's closest girlfriend. Though they would hardly ever call each other with endearing titles.

"Urusai! I made it at least. Not much trouble during your shift?"

"Just a grazed knee. A junior got hit by a basketball, but it should be calm today"

Ino sighed. Her parents were from Brisbane, Australia. Which made sense as she was rather athletic and enjoyed the days when Japan's weather could compare close to the heat of Australian Summer. However, she was actually born in Tokyo, so she would only ever chance to see the Gold Coast when she returned for Christmas. Her parents were young travellers and paid a visit during their University days and fell in love with Japan's interesting culture. So after finishing their bachelors, they moved into the city and found employment in PR and Advertising.

"Was it Naruto and the guys again"

"Who else? Anyway, I best be going. Good luck. I'll see you at the gates after school. Ja ne!"

As seniors, and part of the extra activities offered by the high school, the majority of students took part of various clubs. Sakura had started dreaming of becoming a doctor since Junior School ended. So, she took the first aid course and volunteered at the sick room 2 days a week for 2 periods. Ino had followed suit as well, though her dream was not as concretely decided.

To be a Student First Aid Officer was quite simple, and perfect for Sakura. She was able to practice a little medical studies (though nothing beyond bandages), but she spent most of the quiet part of shift studying for upcoming tests and exams. Other than her academic achievements she chose to do Boxing on Thursday, which was sports night and is in the Female Initiative. It was a club with a mentor system that partnered ex-students and current students together established by the current school principal Tsunade-sama.

Being kept busy was all part of the school experience. The Tokyo School was the largest of all its International Schools in Japan, second was the Kyoto Suna International Schools.

As Sakura made progress towards her classroom, she felt the annoyance that was embodied as a basketball in her bag. She slid the sliding door of her classroom, 3-1, the last room of seven on the floor.

Before she could register the occupants of her classroom, she felt two hands grip her arms and began shaking her back and forth.

"SAKURA-CHAN! THE BALL! THE BALL! THE BALL! KUDASAIIII"

Sakura always had an issue with Naruto's immaturity. She tensed up in the boy's hands before breaking free. She stared into his cerulean eyes. How did she manage this friendship again? She recalled how she disliked the boy in their elementary days despite his obvious crush for her. He was loud and obnoxious, and she always labelled him as that goofy boy from the U.S but over the years and eventually in Junior high school, she grew a soft spot for his energetic personality.

Uzumaki Naruto, a tall and tanned blond boy who had a quiet and mysterious past which is a huge contrast to his personality, was born in L.A, that much was known but had moved to Tokyo after receiving a scholarship. It was only revealed recently that he wasn't just some American boy, he also was the intended heir of a large corporation. It's impossible to imagine such a boy in a suit behind a grand desk but the young lad had always exclaimed it as his dream.

Naruto had let go of Sakura, slowly bent down and realised his previous actions were out of line. However, he saw the silhouette of the ball in her tote bag and diverted his attention away from Sakura's furiously angry green eyes. He was basically bobbing up and down as he realised the ball had not been destroyed or been burst by her strengths.

His body stood up straight as he saw the ball being retrieved. Sakura gave a strong pass towards Naruto, he was taken back but his enthusiasm for the return of his beloved object, that he didn't care that possible bruising might have happened.

"Stop doing your trick shots at the courts or I'll decide to stick one of my practice syringes in it!"

"SAKURA-CHAN NOO!"

The ball was soon protected and held behind his back as his face distorted into horror at the prospects. He quickly stepped back into his seat as he cradled the ball into his chest. Sakura moved towards the seat next to him but with a disapproving face before prioritising the preparation for class. She took out her notebooks and pens and packed away her tote bag into her leather satchel.

A voice from behind Naruto came out.

"Naruto-kun, you always seem to annoy Sakura-san"

"Shut up Sai!" Naruto shouted as his neck snapped his head around to turn to a pale boy.

Sai was a transfer student from the regular neighbouring Tokyo High School. He came in on the second year of High School. He was awkward at first, despite his amazing academic scores, his social skills were horrendous. He always seemed to forget the cultural differences and made himself into difficult situations. However, in the last year his improvement of character eventually had him accepted in the group.

"Yes you do Naruto-Kun. Be more careful".

This comment had struck a nerve as the two boys started to bicker about the flaws in each other's personalities. However, one boy was taking this in as a constructive criticism while the other was taking offence with every word. Eyes around the class began to direct themselves to the argument, everyone laughing at the comedic display as the two boys misunderstood each other. Sakura tried her best to keep her attention forward and away from their showcase of stupidity.

The classroom door slid open again. A tall grey haired man walked in holding an orange book. His entrance created a pause in the quarrel, and seats and table legs etched into the classroom floor before silence fell. The class began, and students had their latest Japanese text to read for the literature class.

It was the end of the day, at Sakura's locker at the entrance of the school, as she pulled out her brown loafers and replaced them with her indoor slippers. Sakura was a very contemplative girl despite her usual short-tempered violent outbreaks. When she was not studying or being kept busy, she let her mind dawdle off as she became pensive about something.

Stuck in the inside of her locker's door were several purikura stickers from various photobooth visits during her younger days that she must have moved when she started high school. In a particular photo was of herself smiling happily in the center with Naruto on her left and a black haired boy on her right. Her lips turned downwards as she began to recall old memories. Her mind trailed onto other concerns.

It was 6 months until the final exams. She would have finished all her compulsory studies, and reality was coming faster. She would have to join the real world or take on further studies. For the students at this prestigious school, it was no surprise that post-graduation... Students would depart for an international life style. This made her fingers fidget at the charm on her black leather satchel. As she had grown up through the system, she had seen many students transfer out of the system when their parents found new work elsewhere. She closed the locker and stood still as she thought of her close knit friends. The departure of one of her friends had been a moment that defined her. Her eyes glazed as she stared upwards but she was soon awaken from her daze.

"Sa-Sakura-chan. Are you ready"

"Hai. Let's go find Ino"

As though nothing had happened, Sakura turned her face and smiled at the girl next to her. This was Hyuuga Hinata, she had long dark hair that shone with a blue hue under sunlight. She had a straight fringe and was very timid. She had incredibly light hazel eyes. Her family and generations before her had gone through the International school despite being part of Japan's elite families. But when these schools were set up long ago, certain families requested to have their children enrolled so they could have the advantage of being bilingual.

As they walked towards the large school gates, they compared their day. Sakura found her day to be mediocre so she was quite interested to hear of Hinata's day. Hinata was in the same year but in 3-3. She hung around two boys in class, Kiba, a Columbian boy who loved dogs and Shino, another Japanese boy with a strange collection of bugs. Despite the creepy hobbies the boys had, they were protective of Hinata as they had always been in the same class since the beginning. The boys always found a sense of responsibility towards her as she was very shy, they encouraged and supported her to be more assertive.

Hinata didn't share the same extra activities as Sakura, she took on Kendo for her Thursday Sports night, and she was reporting the news that Neji, her cousin, would be returning to become a sensei for the sport. She was also part of a books and crafts club, where a small group of students did various craft activities or exchanged their favourite novels for the week.

"Oh, how is Neji?"

Sakura returned to that subject. Hinata began updating Sakura about his new promotion at work. Her cousin had been orphaned at a young age due to an unfortunate car accident, so her father had taken him in at their household. He had accelerated his studies at the International School and finished extensive course during High School so he was able to finish his Bachelor in Business in the summer holidays. Recently he secured a position in a business firm.

"Ah, of course he's doing well. But who isn't doing well?"

Sakura said sarcastically after Hinata explains the details of Neji's busy lifestyle. The pair arrived at the gates to see Ino was already patiently waiting. She was gazing out and was people watching, but she recognised the shadows of the two as it came towards her.

"I'm so keen for this new sushi bar!"

Ino bursted out. She looked upwards, ran her fingers through her ponytail of blonde hair and reached upwards. Hinata had her fingers clutched onto some flyers and had them placed in front of her face as she let out a little giggle.

"Another girls' day! This is why I look forward to Wednesdays! Hinata-chan, did you ask Tenten Nee-chan to join us?"

Sakura asked while they made way towards the busy city centre.

"Hai!" Hinata responded with a nod, she continued "She said she'll meet us in front!"

Tenten was a year above. She was a daughter of a Chinese businessman and a Japanese textile designer who did most of their business in Singapore. However, due to her grandmother's request had lived in Tokyo to avoid the crazy lifestyle of moving so frequently. She had long dark brunette hair but had always enjoyed the look of having them in two buns on her head. Tenten had been invited the year after her graduation to become a mentor for the Female Initiative club. This was to be expected as she had interned at a design firm after her final exams. She was still studying at the Design College in Industrial design, but her success was admired. As she was good friends with Neji, Hinata and Tenten grew close over the years and Tenten was often invited into the trio's day out.

Sure enough, as Hinata had promised, Tenten was waiting and playing with her Samsung phone outside the restaurant. She was in her casual attire of midi length denim and a loose pale pink top. The trio arrived still in their Senior uniform of a knee length navy pleated skirt and a white button blouse with the Konoha Leaf insignia on the left chest pocket. However, only Hinata was correctly wearing the navy bow at her collar while Ino and Sakura had it tied very loosely.

"When did you two get so sloppy with your uniform" Tenten pointed out as she felt their presence. She pushed her phone into her back pocket as she held her hands forward to readjust their bows.

"Oi!" Ino stepped back, "You're not a student anymore! Don't tell us what to do!"

Tenten only managed to adjust Sakura's bow as Ino had dodged Tenten's grasps.

The four entered the restaurant, passed the vouchers they had received and sat at a table with access to the sushi train. All you can eat sushi for 2500 yen! The girls had created a stack of plates as they took various sashimi, sushi rolls and other favourites. They had decided to finish their early dinner with a plate of hanami dangos.

"Oh! How are Shikamaru and Chouji?" Tenten directed this question to Ino before biting into the pink rice ball.

Ino looked up, the two boys were her close friends. Their families had become really close since her families move to Japan. Shikamura and Chouji were both from Japanese families. Shikamura exceeded his expectation in the Japanese schools, so as a challenge was brought in to learn multiple languages and start the accelerated business course that Neji also did. Despite his achievements, he was a very lazy teenager and spent most of his spare time just lying down besides Chouji who would never stop eating. He joined the International School when his parents decided he needed to take on the family business which had recently opened in Europe.

"They're same old same old! Bahhh boys!"

Ino muttered as she stuffed her mouth with her final dango ball. Clearly irritated, most likely by their laziness in class 3-2. It was a strange friendship they had, due to the families being so close they had become a second family to her despite their contrasting personalities.

"I heard Shikamura's penpal from Suna visited recently"

Tenten smirked, as she poked her dango skewer around.

"Pfft... I don't know, Temari graduated Suna last year. She found a job in Tokyo, but I think she's just doing relations. Plus they both studied Russian... so who knows"

Her shoulders shrugged as she began thinking into it deeply.

"Ohh! Do you think Temari-san likes Shikamaru-kun?"

Hinata gasped at the idea of budding romances among their friends.

"Hmm, they meet up sometimes but who knows..." Sakura thought aloud.

Subaku Temari was from Munich, Germany. She was a tall blonde girl and briefly studied at the Konoha School to finish off her Russian speaking exam with Shikamaru. She was very indifferent about most things, but she did like to laugh at jokes every now and then. She had two younger brothers, Kankuro who was in the same year as the trio of girls who enjoyed studying 3D modelling animation. The youngest brother was Gaara who was a blazing red head, who was in his second year of High School. He was always the key player in basketball when the Annual game was held at Konoha. They were a secretive family, but grew close with the Konoha School after their joint partnership in language classes.

"Yeah, nah. I really doubt anything there. Come on, Shikamaru is so... unfeeling"

Ino, might be right about that idea. As the girls chatted away in English, there were a group of young high school girls from the neighbouring public high school that recognised their uniform. They sent off stares in their direction before muttering a few things. Most of what they said didn't get picked up by the girls' ears but there was a phrase that they all picked up on.

"外人"

(Gaijin – foreigner)

Despite the achievements of the school, there was a lot of bitterness and tension between the school and other Japanese schools. Most of the public seemed indifferent about the whole situation but there was a growing cloud of negativity. The growth of the school and the successes of the students made certain Japanese families believe that jobs and wealth was being taken away. Some rumors passed around that students were ungrateful, snobby and believed themselves to be superior to other school students. All of which false, but these misunderstandings did seem to grow with momentum.

This tension had been built around for a long time. But the negativity never really bothered the girls. All of them looked foreign, even Hinata's unnaturally light hazel eyes struck a difference despite her Japanese heritage. The four of them sitting there, one was blonde, one had pink hair, another with light hazel eyes and the last had a visage slightly off from the Japanese face. Plus, they did not talk as quietly as they hoped in English. Speaking in a foreign language was bound to draw a little bit of attention.

The mood had changed amongst the group. Hinata and Tenten tried to lighten the mood. But they decided it was best to call it an evening as it was getting close to 9pm now. They lost track of time, they paid their share and decided on a new location for next weeks Girls' Wednesday.

When Sakura reached the front door of her home, she checked her phone to see that she had missed a few calls from her mother.

She made a quizzical face as she entered the door.

"Tadaima!"

Casually spoken as she changed out of her shoes and walked towards her bedroom.

"SAKURA?! OKAERI! GOODNESS WHY DIDN'T YOU CHECK YOUR PHONE?! HAVE YOU NOT HEARD?"

Her mother's frantic voice confused her and stunned her for a moment. She spun at her heels to face her frantic mother.

"Chotto, w-what happened?"

Sakura asked with anxiety laced in her voice. Her mother didn't know where to start as she spun around a bit before deciding to turn on the television. The action confused Sakura further. As the screen flicked on and from a McDonald's commerical a news bulletin was returning. An image of a burning building had captivated Sakura.

"Oh my god! KONOHA WAS ATTACKED?"

* * *

 ** _Author: I hope you enjoyed this. Sorry the juice took so long, but I much prefer to introduce characters at the beginning then to introduce them throughout the story. Don't worry, we haven't met all our beloved characters._**

 ** _I do have Naruto pairings but I wanted this fic to be more drama than romance. I'm very sloppy with writing romances but maybe I can pull myself through eventually._**

 ** _Please review, definitely appreciated._**


	2. Chapter 2: A Flashback

**21st Century Tokyo Konoha International High School**

Author's Notes:

 _I wrote this chapter swiftly after the last. So I haven't had any reviews to work on to improve. For me, I don't want to create a long gap between chapters as it damages my creative flow in writing. If you understand what that hopefully I can keep the consistency of this story until the end._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A Flashback**

Sakura was sitting in front of he macbook pro checking her emails. Still in shock seeing one part of her high school burning away on the news minutes earlier. She looked up on facebook to see her friends writing facebook statuses about their shock. There were photos being uploaded showing police departing the scene. There were a few reports that a teacher and two students had been injured. Sakura's concern was coming from the hopes it wasn't someone she knew.

Ping. Ping. Ping.

Several notifications popped up from her fb mailbox, it appears someone did know the goss. It was Ino! Sakura decided to call her instead of typing, she couldn't figure a way to calm herself down to type coherently. A message filled with typos were not going to help her cause of getting information, she picked up her iPhone and dialed.

"Moshi moshi!"

"Ino-pig! What happened! What do you know! Who was hurt? Who was there? Why did it happen?"

Sakura's frantic and constant bickering had been cut off in and out. Ino registered that Sakura was very concerned, in the news, it appeared it was the old building with the cafeteria and the science labs that had a floor burnt down. But firefighters at the scene were able to stop it going further down from the top floor.

"Hold up! Forehead! Slow down! Let's meet at the hospital!"

"The hospital!? Who's there?"

"I don't know how it happened, b-but, Hinata got injured!"

Sakura was in complete shock, wasn't Hinata just with them moments earlier. How did she get involved with the fire and the damage? Why was she back there? Sakura grabbed her pale pink jumper and put it over her head and stormed out of her room.

"Mum, Dad! Hinata's at the hospital! Ittekimasu!"

"Oh goodness! Be home soon! Itterasshai!"

Sakura grabbed her bike that was parked in front. She didn't enjoy taking it out too much as the streets of Tokyo had a dangerous traffic, and despite her life here she never grew used to peddling through. Her thoughts raced through her head as she made a quick turn on her bike towards the hospital. Ino's silhouette was seen out the front pacing around the entrance. Sakura jumped off her bike and locked it by the bike rack.

"Tell me!"

Without hesitation, the two started talking and walking into the hospital. Somehow word had got out and Sakura saw the waiting room was filled with familiar faces too. Sai was drawing in the corner. Shikamaru and Chouji were seated beside him. Neither were really speaking but there was growing concerns and a strange atmosphere around the room. On the other side of the room there was Neji being comforted by Lee.

Lee was a Chinese boy who sought to excel in Shaolin, and attempted many contests and was in Neji and Tenten's year. He had a crush on Sakura, but it was very trivial as he spent a lot of time focused on his athletic performances.

Kiba and Shino were comforting each other in the corner. As the two girls entered the room, Tenten ran towards them. At that moment, Sakura had only known of Hinata being in the hospital. But the grave atmosphere indicated there must be someone else. As Sakura started scanning around the room, she made notes of everyone's presence and that was when it struck here.

"Naruto! Where is he?!"

Sakura yelled into the room, eyes looked towards her before avoiding her eyes again. Desperately searching for someone to answer her she looked around. Shikamaru got up and directed his head towards a door and indicated her to follow. It was the best part of his character, he knew it was troublesome but he knew someone had to take on the responsibility.

Sakura entered the room, and there lying in bed, tired, was Naruto's frail body. Sakura ran to his side. Assessing the injuries that Naruto had sustained, she noted several burns on his body and a large cut that was bandaged up on his left shoulder. She sat down at the seat beside his beds, and footsteps were heard coming towards the room. And a familiar face came in.

"Ah, Sakura, you're here... "

Sakura turned on the spot and saw it was the School principal standing there with some papers.

"Tsunade-Sama! What happened?"

"I just finished talking to the doctors and the police about the incident... They spoke really quickly in Japanese, but I managed to understand all the technical issues... It seems the school was attacked by vandals, but it shouldn't be an issue. Class will commence. I've got Shizune messaging all parents to not be concerned. But it seems the Vandals came in just to burn down a building. However Kakashi-Sensei was in the building when it happened. He tried to stop the fire but got trapped in the lab. I believe Hinata was walking home when she saw Naruto running in. Naruto did his best to pull Kakashi-sensei out when a minor explosion occurred. Hinata was running in at the same time, and I believed she managed to get the door open when Naruto was running out. A window shattered above them, so Hinata has a few cuts but Naruto and Kakashi have a few burns that need to be treated... They'll be here for a while."

Sakura's eyes fluttered towards Naruto's body. He's always trying to save people. What a stupid hero. But Sakura couldn't get mad, he's been doing this his whole life, running into stupid situations and getting hurt. As the three were staring at Naruto's body, Narutos eyes opened suddenly. He tried to get up as the others tried to hold him down.

"NANI!?"

Naruto looked around trying to grasp on his surroundings and then he noticed a teary eyed Sakura standing on his left.

"Baka! Stop moving!"

Sakura yelled, and her endearing expression she was just staring at him with earlier changed. She seemed to be annoyed at Naruto trying to get out and about. Patients, should remain seated.

"Oh! Hinata-chan! Kakashi-sensei! Are they okay!?"

Naruto looked around nervously.

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned to see the other person in the room was Shikamaru and Tsunade. He calmed down as their expression didn't seem to be too alarmed. He relaxed and lied back into his back pillow.

"Don't worry. They're all in a better condition than you"

"Hinata-chan?"

"Yeah she's fine, she is sleeping at the moment but she should be out of the hospital in a few days"

Shikamarus calm words seemed enough to calm down Naruto. He closed his eyes seeming relieved. It was funny the way he reacted, everyone but him knew of Hinata's crush on him. But his oblivious head of his, always seemed to cause Hinata into embarrassing situations whenever he got too close.

Tsunade directed Shikamaru and Sakura out of the room. Everyone in the waiting room took turns visiting the three patients. Everyone's mood lifted. Kakashi was just reading in his bed, he just had a few burns on his leg and had his chest wrapped up. Hinata was very dazed for most of her visits but she was happy to have visitors. Despite all the happy moments shared that evening, everyone could tell trouble was afoot and this incident was surely not going to be the only one. Security at the school was put up around the school grounds, and repair teams were booked in to start their work the following day.

The incident made it on the news again the next morning but a controversial political party was getting involved. The Akatsuki Party had always been very disapproving of the growth of International Schools, as it challenges the Japanese tradition. They use any opportunity they get to advocate their disapproval, as they believe the schools interrupt the peace of Japan. They were not well liked, but they do have a steady growth of followers. Thankfully they have never been voted in.

"Sakura, be careful now. I don't like the look of this new agenda in Japan."

"Hai, mum. I'm sure the school will be fine. And it'd be a huge discrimination issue if something like that happens".

Sakura finished up, greeted her mother and her father before deciding to walk to school. She could feel eyes on her more than usual. Having pink hair does caused her to stick out like a sore thumb, but her school uniform must be the cause of interest since her school made it on the news. The stares didn't feel dangerous, but must be out of curiosity. Sakura had always felt welcomed in Japan despite her heritage or appearance. She brushed it aside, and continued on her usual route to class.

Tokyo is definitely an interesting place to live – switching from London to Tokyo was definitely an interesting experience in her younger years. She did miss the ease of speaking english whenever she liked, but she was fluent in Japanese now, though she didn't really have many Japanese friends to speak with. She loved the cute things available in Tokyo and she couldn't find fault or something that wasn't interesting in Japan. The seasons were just changing. And spring was ending so the colder months were coming. This also meant Ino would start to become moody about the weather. Sakura didn't mind the cold weather, London was always dismal for most of the year anyway.

Ino's slipper locker was next to Sakuras. And it appeared Ino wasn't late this morning.

"Urgh, I hate the cold"

Ino was sporting the uniform with an oversized cardigan and a big fluffy white scarf. Sakura just nodded in agreement because she didn't want to start Ino into her ranting spree. It was still only 20 degrees, Ino loved overreacting.

"Have you heard from Hinata yet?"

"Hm, I got a text this morning. She says she'll be discharged tomorrow morning"

"That's good to hear"

Sakura got her slippers out and placed her loafers in. It was good news, but the atmosphere around Konoha had definitely changed. Shikamaru was walking in through the doors when the duo closed their lockers.

"Oi, you two."

"What do you want Shika?"

Ino was annoyed, her eyes hooded and gave the poor boy a deathly stare.

"Calm down, I think you guys should hear about the news."

"What news? What else could have happened?"

Ino's tone had changed, this startled Sakura as well. What else could have happened at the same time. Wasn't the news of last night enough drama for now?

Shikamaru seemed to have regretted starting this conversation, but seemed obligated to finish what he started. For such a smart guy, it made no sense as to how he was such a lazy one even when it came to socialising. He rolled his eyes and then directed them into a more quiet place in the hallway outside their classrooms. He took a deep breath in and leaned against the wall as the two girls stood still staring at him.

"Well, the Akatsuki Political Party, you guys know of their members right?"

"Yes of course..." They agreed together.

"Including the Uchiha?"

He said as he eyed them for a reaction. Of course there was an uncomfortable reaction as the name was said. Sakura looked down at her feet, and Ino tried to stay unphased as her bottom lip trembled.

"Yeah so what?"

Ino said louder than she had hoped.

"Well the leader of the group has started a campaign to shut down all the International Schools. In Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, etc"

The girls eyes widened at this new information, how did they miss this new story?

"Since Uchiha Itachi is supporting the group. Despite being an ex-student here, the head of all the schools have decided to be a bit bitter about it. "

The girls didn't understand how this new information could possibly be affecting anything, it was a threat but the board had always been able to deal with it civilly and professionally. The idea they were going to be bitter about it seemed strange, what could they do beyond fighting against the party?

"Since the end of Junior High, Sasuke has had his place kept on hold in the school. Even despite the fight he had with Naruto. Since he has not returned, and due to his brother's actions the board has decided to pull out the Uchiha's recognition in the school. He's officially been expelled and marked so our University Partners will not accept him into their programs. It's pretty harsh."

' _Uchiha Sasuke_ '

The name resonated through Sakura's thoughts. It was a harsh punishment, imagine being blocked off from finishing your tertiary education in Japan. That'd make life quite difficult. But. Where is Sasuke? Sakura's eyes seemed to have focused onto a spec on the floor of the hallway. She didn't realise how long she had been in silence for and it wasn't until Ino started whimpering. Shikamaru placed a hand in Ino's shoulder, the two looked up when they noticed Sakura had left and entered her own classroom.

Seated in her personal seat, she pulled out her things and opened an old book. It was one of those memory books you had when you finished elementary, you got your friends to write notes and stick in any shared purikura stickers. Her book was still being updated. A photo from her last birthday was stuck inside. She began flicking through it all, she didn't seem upset but she didn't seem at her best either. Perfectly aware that Naruto has been kept from that secret and probably bored out of his mind at the hospital. She needed someone to be her confidante, or someone to listen. She looked around the classroom and realised the only other person who knew things the way she did was Sai... but he was not the type of comfort her the way she wanted.

Her seat screeched back, she picked up a tote bag from her satchel and filled it with the memory book and a few pens and scrap paper. Possibly, she could skip out on the first class of the day. Her mind was clouded, and she wasn't sure how traumatised by the recent events had made her. Or whether the first class of the day was going to be of any use to her studies.

Her slippers had taken her to the quiet corner of the library. She knew this could be her safe place for the time being. She opened her memory book and started flicking through, she read the little comments she had written at 12. On a particular page she had scrawled "Team 7", there she had the same photo from her locker. It was a purikura sticker the three had taken together at a younger age. Naruto's distorted face, Sakura's smile and the young Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke was the son of a rich Japanese family. His family had a history of powerful politicians that joined the parliament of Japan. Due to the families' history of being a big political power, it was common for the family to send their young to international schooling. However, when Sasuke was younger, at 8, there was an attack at their household. There must have been concern of the Uchiha's power in Japan's politics that Sasukes' mother and father were murdered within their home. Attacks occured simultaneously that evening as well, leaving the Uchiha brothers without anyone to fall back on. This complicated Sasuke's life, Itachi, his older brother took custody of him and continued being a political figure. However, the public was shocked that he chose to join the opposing and controversial party – Akatsuki.

Sasuke held a lot of dislike towards his only surviving family member, thinking he had gone against his families' original moral. Until he was 15 he was forced to stay in Itachi's care, however when he turned 15 at the end of Junior High School, he took the opportunity to jet off and disappear.

Only a few people expected his departure. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were growing into a very close group of friends. It all started when they had to a major class group project together that lasted 6 months. And soon they became inseparable. Though it was mostly Naruto and Sakura who had to drag Sasuke along. Their friendship was admired, one goofy American boy, a pink haired English girl and a moody Japanese boy. They were definitely a dynamic trio, but somehow balanced each other out well. She remembers the night he left.

Sakura was walking home when she saw the black haired boy with a large suitcase. He was walking towards the major train station. At first, the 15 year old followed quietly until he stopped in a quiet road. He turned around and made eye contact with Sakura. Startled by being discovered. She called out. she took a step forward and could only think of a very weak way of stopping him. Maybe her pent up love could stop his hatred of his brother.

No, its not going to work, is it?

"Sasuke-kun. Please. Don't go... Happy Birthday."

He didn't seem very phased by her words. He did seem to rest his weight on his heels a little more. And he tilted his head a little back. Sakura saw his hair fall back at the motion. She continued.

"Sasuke-kun. I love you. So much!"

Tears streamed down her face. She dropped her little bag, and started to jet towards him. She stopped only a few steps away.

"Please. Didn't these last few years mean anything. You may not love me back but, aren't we at least your new family. Our memories, our trips together. We've been through so much. Please it must mean something, anything to you. It's your birthday, you're supposed to be celebrating with friends. You don't need to leave Tokyo! I'm here!"

"URUSAI! ... You're annoying."

His sneakers took a few paces forward, pink eyebrows furrowed together, shocked. Emotionally hurt that the impact of her words meant nothing. It was not worth any hesitation. She meant nothing to him. Her self-value depleted. Her knees buckled. Thump, her knees hit the gravel of the path. Her whimpers escaped her lips as she tried her best to console herself. The street lights shone upon the lonely scene, of a crying teenager sitting on the gravel of the ground, as the shadows of another boy leaves the scene.

"Thank you"

Her eyes flicked upwards, as she thought she heard his voice. Her exhaustion took over. It was another 30minutes before she collected her things. Rubbed the palms to eyes and with a sense of hopelessness before returning home.

It was a week of mourning for Sakura. She wasn't able to contain her feelings from others. It was publicly known that she was distraught, that she loved Sasuke. Naruto had received a message earlier about it. Unable to hold in her feelings, one of the first people Sakura contacted after cleaning herself up was him. Naruto had managed to chase Sasuke to Narita Airport. They had a public brawl, but Sasuke managed to get through his gate and fly off. Naruto was left behind, requiring stitches in the airport sick room.

Everyone was affected by Sasuke's departure. There was a gaping hole in the social group. The students all moved into the High School, the transition to the new school was enough to distract many of them from the strange absence of the Uchiha. Maybe except for a few.

"なぜサクラちゃんはここですか？"

(Naze Sakura-chan ha kokodesu ka? – Why is Sakura-chan here?)

"Oh Sai-kun, please, you know how much more comfortable I am with speaking English."

"Hai."

Broken out of daze, she must have been thinking about her past for at least an hour. The sun was making its way into the sky. Sai was standing behind here, analysing her actions.

"What are you doing? You missed first class."

"I didn't feel like going. And it's okay, I finished my notes for the entire year now. I just need to revise and do some exercises before the exams."

Sai looked at the book that was hidden under Sakura's hand, it seemed strange for her to be using that book to study with. Sai let it rest for the time being, he never really understood things like that. He never really had friends growing up, even in his Japanese schools he had issues making friends.

"What are you doing here Sai-kun?"

Sakura said over her shoulder. Embarrassed that Sai had almost seen her crying about old memories. Sai knew of Sasuke, how he was taking Sasukes old place in the class but never really fulfilled the role Sasuke had for Sakura.

"Oh, class ended early today. Teachers are all meeting up. Something about Akatsuki winning, and some Uchiha Madara and funding stripped."

"NANI!?"

Sakura shocked she somehow missed out on hearing this information again. She'll definitely need to ask someone who was in the know. She has a lot of questions to answer. And now what, another Politician? But wasn't Sasuke and Itachi the last Uchiha's?

* * *

 **Author's note: Yay, we have an antagonist to blame. Theres finally a plot and drama to work with. I'm not sure if I should write more romance into this since we're revolving around Sakura. I've never enjoyed the writing of Sakura's character as it seemed to always revolve around her motive of having Sasuke. But let's wait and see what happens next chapter.**

 **Favourite and Review please! Next chapter will be out soon!**


	3. Chapter 3: Contemplation

**Author Note:**

 **I literally re-watched the Naruto Gakuen OVA. You guys have no idea how much I love this alternate universe. Because, really come on, this is the closest we're gonna get to relating to their problems. Sadly, I've been out of High School for over 4 years. I really hope I haven't been that detached to my "YOUTH!"**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Contemplation**

The hallways in front of her were never-ending. How was this possible? She's been a student here for so long, when did the halls seem to go on forever. Hadn't she routinely walked down these halls on a daily basis. If she remembered correctly, wouldn't this have been a short walk? When was she finally going to arrive at the third staircase? When was she going to arrive to the ground floor, or for that matter when is she going to arrive at the headmistresses' office. Where is Tsunade-sama?

A sensation, not of the good kind, was swelling inside Sakura's heart. Her chest felt tighter, and her front teeth were digging deeper into her bottom lip. Her indoor slippers were not the best shoes to grip onto the floors of the school. A screech echoed behind her everytime she made a sharp turn. There within her sight, she spotted the open door to the office. With no formalities, she ran.

"Hmm, Haruno. What are you doing here?"

Sakura had her right arm gripped to the door panel, her breath hitched as she tried to let her words come out but her body didn't allow her to stand with such coolness yet. She swallowed to get hold of herself. Eyes into the room, her assistant was standing by her table with papers in hand. The room plainly decorated, with the special detail of a pink piggy bank on the corner. They made eye contact and allowed the time for Sakura to collect her thoughts and words for the matter.

"Tsunade-sama, p-please I want you to tell me. I-I love this school, p-please tell me you aren't sh-shutting it down!"

The headmistress gave a glance to her assistant, who was standing very nervously as she gripped onto the papers a little bit tighter. Without changing her cool expression, Tsunade had pushed her chair back, paced slowly until she stood by the window looking out onto the campus. From Sakura's perspective, she looked at how her blonde hair was tied into pigtails and hung more loosely than usual. This was the woman she admired so highly, who had privately tutored her on her science subjects in her first year of High School. Sakura's eyes switched focus from her mentor to the view that could be seen through the window. From her position she could see the sports fields, and two more buildings that belonged to Konoha as well. The assistant, Shizune, let out a soft sigh as everyone stood still looking out. Sakura couldn't allow this silence to continue without answers.

"Please."

"Haruno, it's a lot more complicated than a simple story. Yes, its true, the Akatsuki party has managed to halt classes... but only for a short time. There will be a summit with the other principals around the country. We will talk this weekend, until then, no more information can be disclosed. Out of class activities will continue. Don't worry. We will return the school back to its former glory."

Sakura's eyesbrows were still furrowed, Shizune could sense this answer was not going to be enough. However, the lack of response from Sakura took her as a surprise. Usually Sakura was without a censor or a firewall. She would raise her voice if something upsetted her. She recalled a memory in which Tsunade had been unfair in work that Sakura needed to finish. Sakura had broken a chair while venting her ideas of how unjust it was. But Shizune can only assume that the years had passed and allowed her to mature. With her worrying eyes, she saw the pink haired student exit the room without question. The patter of her slippers echoed down the hall and could be heard within the office, it wasn't until the sound of the feet hitting the staircase did the liveliness of the office resumed. (Or something close to lively)

"I think she'll be back soon"

Her assistants eyes flicked back to the back of her head.

"But we don't want the students to worry. What do they have against international students? We're so small in comparison. Why does this war have to happen? Shizune, we'll have to keep this low-key. Get this resolved ASAP!"

"Hai!"

Many students decided to take the unexpected events and exploit it for a holiday. Left for the day, leaving the classrooms deserted. The atmosphere of the school changed from a place filled with cries of students to something very eerily spooky. However, some of the seniors stayed behind, awaiting some sort of news to ease the confusion. As the students sat or stood in a comfortable silence, footsteps came towards them. Lee stood up, shoulders rolled back and directed his attention to the new comer.

"Ah Sai-kun! What news do you have to report!"

"No news, have you seen Sakura-chan. I just told her the news and then she ran off."

"Whattt! Sakura-chan! We must start a search party"

A fist pumped into the air, as he heroically posed from his standing spot.

"Tsch, Shut up Lee. You're not even a student here anymore."

Ino, the voice of the last comment said. Her arms were folded. Her scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. Her eyes following the movement of the leaves of the tree branches above her. She didn't know what frustrated her more, the weather or the situation they were all in.

"This is too troublesome"

"Shikamaru, what do you think is going to come of this"

His brown eyes looked at his companion on the left. Chouji, his best friend was restless, he had finished his third packet of crisps and decided to fiddle with stone he had picked up next to him. Then again, Shikamaru had his eyes wander around the group for the last half an hour. No one seemed to be at ease. Typical. Why did they care so much, he would have very much liked to go home and take a nap also. How did he end up with the responsible sorts at school. He rolled his head back to feel his muscles stretch to his movements. Before he started, he looked up at the beautiful weather that had befallen on that day. What a beautiful day wasted on being worried.

"We should all stop worrying. We all know this usually gets resolved. It may be the worst that has ever come, but I'm sure it'll be fixed. Our futures won't stop just because this school closed down."

"SHIKAMARU! HOW CAN YOU BE SO UNFEELING! "

Ino's raised voice and stance seemed to awaken everyone up from their daze. Kiba stood up abruptly, held an arm between the two before Ino could step forward.

"INO! STOP! I don't think we should create anymore drama."

Kiba looked her square in the face before transferring his sharp eye to Shikamaru's unphased ones. Shikamaru stared at him, with no intent, no guilt for his words.

"Shikamaru... This school is not just a place to gain from. There's so much more. don't forget to be human too. What is a future if we only ever thought about ourselves".

Ino whispered. Everyone watched her, before she turned and return to her sitting position on the bench. No. This won't do. In no way did Ino believe she was in the wrong for this argument. Yes, Shikamaru is known to be smart, but he really needs to learn to think beyond academics. They all had their faults, everyone was definitely more on edge. Ino scrunched her pleated skirt in her fists. Where were the other girls when she needed support. Where was Sakura, and when will Hinata return? Just as she felt her eyes sting, she saw the flicker of pink at the edge of her peripheral vision. Not taking a chance against it, she took off.

"Ino!"

"Let her be."

With a hand out in front of Chouji, Shikamaru just sat still as Chouji allowed his weight to fall back to where he was sitting.

"Our futures... huh. What does that mean?"

Chouji said lowly to himself. No reaction came from this, but everyone started to think it. They were in their final year. They'd get some number. Some label, and appear somewhere to continue their studies. Get high paying jobs. But what comes out of life with such goals. What was living if it was all planned out for them. This is teenage years, this is all about drama and angst, and there was no immunity for anyone. It's no surprise, it's been written about, this is what happens to the best of us and theres no escaping it.

Each of their minds filled with these thoughts about what their future would mean if they were forced to leave. Who they were as a person, did they fully understand who they were, where they stood or what they were supposed to be.

A gasp escaped from the lips owned by Sakura. Eyes wide open, she felt like she was drowning. She looked at her hands that began to tremble. She searched for some sort of support, making do with the bench on the side alley of the school. She closed her eyes firmly. Inhale. Exhale. Why was she so dramatic about this. Why is she having her doubts. It was in these moments where she attempted to calm down when she heard murmurs.

"Yes. When we get this place closed down, we can finally sell it and use the money for our gain. Such rubbish. We don't need anymore elitist schools here. And these International ones are definitely the worst. "

"I agree Pein-Sama".

Back against the wall the bench had been built against, Sakura couldn't believe what she managed to eavesdrop into. Surely she would be in terrible danger if she was caught eavesdropping. But what she was hearing was too tempting, she wanted to know more. If Tsunade-sama can't tell here, why not eavesdrop on these Akatsuki Members?

"I'd like to see these headmasters try and stop us. We're so close to what we need."

Sakura had held her breath throughout the whole interchange. Her face turned a brighter shade as she waited for the footsteps to walk away. She heard possibly 6 pairs of leather shoes walk away. Six. She let out her breath, still with eyes closed resting. What was she going to make with this information. Frustrated at the lack of plan she was forming, she was just as smart as Shikamaru but her mind seemed to clouded. A chill came over Sakura, it was a lot cooler than she remembered.

"Sakura-san, what are you doing here?"

Her eyes woke, unable to adjust or focus on the figure in front of her. She took notice of what she could see while her eyes adjust. A suit. Black Hair. And then it all came clear, Uchiha Itachi was standing in front of her. Looming over her, blocking the sun from her sight. He's too close. She couldn't back herself away any further so she resorted to ducking and sliding across. Itachi's eyes kept a close eye on her movement.

"No-nothing!"

She said too unconvincingly. But Itachi made no indication of disbelief.

"Okay... Have you made contact with my brother recently?"

He asked with a genuine tone in his voice.

"No. Not since he's left."

"Strange. I can not believe my brother hasn't contact his precious friends all these years. Okay. Ja ne"

Dumbstrucked by the sudden appearance of Itachi, if she had thought she had too much to think about prior to this, it was definitely too confusing for her now. Her eyes watched as Itachi's shadow passed. His presence and his last topic of conversation had left Sakura a little upset. Usually, she would be able to contain her thoughts about Sasuke, her childhood crush. But it seemed today was a little too much. Too much to think about. How could the events of today, yesterday, turn about to something a little more light-hearted.

"Sakura! Where the hell are you!?"

Sakura recognised the feminine voice. It must be Ino. She must be worried. A warned flashed in her mind, she must not disclose what she's learnt so far to anyone until she can come to terms with it and make up a plan.

Sakura went to her sport club that evening. She managed to vent a lot of anger onto her practice punching bag. Boxing was her stress reliever. Thank goodness it was Thursday. Because of the holiday that many students decided to go on, Sakura wasn't able to find a partner for the ring. But it would definitely be a dangerous move, she was in no mood to just box for a friendly match. The bag was handling her punches well, if it was true flesh, bruises would definitely be left imprinted on it. Sakura kept going at it. Swinging her punches from angles. Bouncing on the spot, eyeing and imagining the bag as various problems. She envisioned the bag to be the physical embodiment of it all.

A punch for her insecurity for her future. A punch at the prospects of suddenly being separated from her friends. A punch for Naruto, Hinatas and Kakashi's injuries. A punch for Sasuke's selfish decision to abandon her and Naruto. A punch for Akatsuki party's greed. As she was prepared to swing her last punch, she had the bag imagined as a reflection of herself. With the last swing, she breathed heavily beside it, before resting her forehead against it. In the end, all her frustration was directed at herself. Because, she wasn't a hero like Naruto, she couldn't be helpful when needed. Thats why she wanted to be a doctor, she can't be as vigilant as Naruto but she can definitely save lives one day.

Her head spun, she must have overworked herself. She stood still with her tired arms hugging the bag. When she finally could hold her weight on her heels she moved to her bag. That was definitely a workout.

"Sakura-chan. Are you okay?"

Sakura breathed in before speaking to Sai.

"Yeah, I think I'm a little stressed out"

"Don't worry about. Hinata will be returning tomorrow. And Naruto will be back next week. We all still have each other"

He smiled. Sakura smiled back, but with no faith in whether she was showing a genuine one.

"Sakura-chan. I know you."

She was caught out. She needs a distraction. Something to forget about school, to forget about upcoming exams, she wants to spend time with her friends.

"Sai! I have an idea!"

* * *

 **Horray! Another chapter done. I just finished my semester so I have a lovely 4 month break. I'll try and finish this. Hopefully with pairings! But lets deal with the drama! so so so much drama.**

 **Favourite, Review. Tell me things!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Happiest Place

**Author Note:**

 **Yay ! I've received a review! Looking at Fanfiction traffic is crazy, I didn't notice it last time. I can't believe some of you have continued to read such a long and gruelling story. Hopefully the plot goes at a decent pace! Enjoy this special chapter. I've written a sasusaku oneshot in the same location. Hope you guys enjoy that too if you have read it. Anyway. Here's Chapter Four.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Happiest place on Earth

It was a simple plan. It spurred into her mind the second she realised she needed somewhere to go and to fantasise about another reality. A reality without the stress or the drama that had all suddenly sprung up on them. Well, sprung up on her, since no one has been too talkative about the go ons with the school, she didn't know if this was affecting the others as much as it was for her. Prior to the week's events she spent her time being a normal teenager. As normal as she could be as a pink haired girl with an English heritage living in Japan.

She had her eyes set on a medical school in central Tokyo, she had a group of loving friends. She had nothing to complain of. However, often she would allow her mind to wander off on "what ifs" concerning a certain raven-haired boy. But, how predictable of her character and of her person at 18. This was no time for pining over boys that have shown little to no interest. This week was something risen out of spite of her calm life, the risk of finding a new school could be damaging to her studies, losing her only close knit group of friends in Tokyo is a little too much. She didn't like the idea of instability. She liked security, she liked knowing her goals and she didn't like worrying about problems like these because it always got her into a habit of self-doubt, and numb to her next moves. This is where she hated herself, she would do nothing and her progression in life would go to a steady slow-down.

She knew what her past had shown her, she needed a distraction. So where else could she allow herself to immerse in another fantasy. The answer was clear as day as she saw the billboard on her transit home. Tokyo Disneyland was the answer. She was sure Mickey and the gang would be the perfect heroes for the day. Satisfied with this idea, a smile had been permanently housed itself on her face since she invited the gang and up until the rendez-vous point.

They were to catch the train together, originally she wanted them all to Disneybound with her. (Disneybound: dressing up in the colours of Disney Characters since costumes aren't allowed within the park). However, the boys, though overjoyed at the prospects of going to Disneyland, they however were not enthusiastic with dressing up in strange attire. Plus, there was a shortage of male Disney characters in their opinion. They did not like the idea of dressing up as princes. That didn't stop the girls though, they each decided to dress as a Disney Princess. So Sakura, standing by at the rendez-vous point in a purple crop top and a green tulle skirt. She didn't exactly have the vibrant red hair, but none of the princesses had pink hair.

Sakura's body clock was always handy for days like these. Naturally she would wake up when required, but the disadvantage of this meant she would lose precious minutes of dreamtime and was always first to arrive on location. Not that she was complaining, as of late her dreams had turned into nightmares.

"Sakura-chan! Ohaiyo!"

"Hinata! You look beautiful."

"Oh, a-arigatou."

Hinata was dressed in a yellow summer dress that stopped at her knees. Underneath she had a vibrant blue top. To accessorise she wore a red headband. The fun of Disneybounding is that it wasn't an exact costume but Hinata did have the correct colour palette to be Snow White.

"Snow White! Ariel! Rapunzel is here!"

The pair had turned to see Ino in a purple playsuit. She had her hair in a braid, very unlike her usual hair style, in which she would have it in a high blonde ponytail. Her announcement was clear and she was very glad to have end up being this certain princess. She stressed her argument that as the only girl with long blonde hair, it was only fair.

"Ino-Pig, always with the entrances"

Ino's ears perked up as their reaction was not one that she hoped. With a hand at the hip and another waving by the side of her face she lifted her chin upwards.

"Whatever. Where is our beloved Hero of China?"

"I'm here, your highness."

Speak of the devil, and they shall appear, though Tenten was not such a demonic person. Tenten had made her appearance in yellow skinny jeans, a blue top and a green cardigan. However, she still kept her brunette hair in her trademark hairdo. Tentens right hand was adjusting the placement of the red belt on her hips as she finished her low bow towards Ino. Tenten had a smug look as she turned to face the other girls.

"Ah, as usual, I guess the boys will be late"

"What boys? We are the Avengers!"

A familiar crack of laughter came from behind them. As they turned to see the cause of the commotion. There, standing before them with the sun's rays shining upon their shoulders, all the boys had arrived at the same time, all wearing various shades of denim jeans and different coloured shirts. They looked like a ridiculous boyband, though none looked like they were fitting to their role.

"Tsh, I thought you boys didn't want to dress up"

"That's true Sakura-chan, but who can say no to being Super Heroes!"

"So troublesome, we are late because Naruto forced us all to get a shirt".

Sakura eyes went from one boy to the next, the girls all did so as well. They all appeared a little star struck by the entrance. Each had sported a different coloured shirt with a different Marvel Hero symbol on it. Naruto wore a blue shirt with Captain America's shield in front, it seemed appropriate considering he was the only one in the group from USA. Neji wore a red shirt with Iron Man's iconic chest piece printed in center – they both did share a smug ego. Shino had Spiderman's iconic colours, Sai with Thors, Shikamaru with Hawkeye, Chouji as the Green Hulk. Kiba was a bit more into character, he had his hair spiked up and wore a shirt with the Wolverines' symbol and colours. Lee was standing at the end of the group, before rushing towards Sakura's.

"Sakura-chan, I may not be Prince Eric but I can be your Hero with super speed. Quicksilver!"

He stood on face with her, doing one of his iconic poses again. Lee's lack of shame whenever he expressed his affection towards her was always too much. It was embarrassing to watch, and overtime she had to grow tolerate of it all. Though, his sudden appearance made her face tense up.

"Lee, calm down. Don't you think trying to get with someone still in High School is a bit weird"

Ino said from behind her. From there the topic changed.

"Let's go Avengers, and our Princesses!"

"Hey! You know we aren't damsel's in distress. We're pretty badass too!"

On board the train they looked like a strange group. Boys wearing various colourful shirts and girls in their own strange colour palette. But there was an inkling growing inside Sakura, and she could tell that their ridiculous atmosphere was going to be a day full of memories to recall. The boys had been discussing in which order they should go on rides. Also discussing which rides deserved to have fast passes obtained first. Tenten joined in with their discussion before debating how important it is that they should remember to grab lunch too.

"Oh Naruto! We've arrived"

They had all fallen deep into their discussion, and didn't realise how fast their commute had become. Within seconds the door had opened and the boys rushed through the doors, while the girls calmly walked out together. Ino had been bragging on about something and Sakura was glad to listen to her had walked by her side. It all seemed perfect except she felt like something was missing.

"Ahh guys... we gotta wait a few minutes. I invited someone."

"Hehh! Shikamaru, who!? Who? Who!"

Shikamaru had set himself into a trap, as he as he spoke he was soon cornered and pushed around by Naruto. His fingers digging deep into his shoulder as his head bobbed around.

"Ah Shikamaru."

They turned around and saw a tall blonde girl with her hair tied into ponytails.

"You are Temari-san, a graduate in Suna's School right?"

"Yes. Let's finally get in."

Temari's entrance was not too much of a disruption, as she soon joined in the girls conversation. Sakura did enjoy seeing Temari glancing back and forth at the back of Shikamaru's head. Nothing happening, yeah right, there was totally some tension between the two. Her participation in the conversation made it really interesting, they were able to discuss the difference between their two cities and she told them the funny stories of her brothers as she was the only one in the conversation that had them.

"I'm so jealous, I've always wanted cute little brothers."

"Tenten, are you serious? My brothers are crazy. They're so annoying, and when they were younger they almost got themselves killed when they were fighting. Trust me. You don't want younger siblings. I'm jealous of you Hinata. Don't you have a little sister. She must be so cute!"

"Hanabi is cute, but she is already very competitive and mature."

"Oh, I forgot about your little sister Hinata. Being an only child sucks. Parents put all their energy on you. They won't let it go if you have nothing to say about your day!"

They discussed the same topic until they reached the gates of Disneyland. A glimmer sparkled within Sakura's emerald orbs, as she saw the welcome sign of the park. She felt lighter and her cheeks pinched upwards. Nothing could ruin this day. Nothing. Her hand moved up to her heart as she tried to take in it all. The sky was a perfect clear blue, the sun was shining and she felt it's rays on her arms and on her face. It was warm, and she felt a hand on her forearm. Her eyes met Hinata's, she had such a warm smile on and she couldn't help but reciprocate a warmer one in return.

Laughter and high spirits surrounded the group, even Naruto's stupidity didn't get Sakura into a terrible mood. In fact, she laughed when she saw Naruto trying to chase down a cast member and try and get sneaked into the back. It didn't work, but his attempt was hilarious. He had even gotten down on his knees to beg. It wasn't until Kiba and Shikamaru had to drag him away. As a large group, the positive energy multiplied. Good moods bounced on each other, and even though the Park was crowded they really felt like they were in their own world.

Between rides and waiting in queues, they stopped at the castle and took various group photos. One included one of the boys posing as the Avengers whilst trying to attempt to stay in character. The girls tried the same with posing like the Disney princesses. Temari wasn't properly disneybounding like any particular princess so had to make use of buying a princess crown from the Disney store. She was wearing a pink top which somewhat resonated Aurora's look. They then did a role reversal, the girls tried to pose like the latest Avenger's movie, while the boys tried to the best of their ability to pose like gentle and feminine princesses with their hands clasp together or waving them about. All the photos went up directly onto instagram from that moment, against the bickering of the boys when they argued "What if my future girlfriend sees that! Nooo!"

They moved on from the castle, and Chouji decided to grab some strawberry flavoured popcorn. Eventually everyone was tempted by having snacks, and Chouji had insisted that he would not share and that everyone had to resort to buying their own treats. Sakura picked up a toffee apple. While taking a lick of her apple, she set a gaze at the group, this felt perfect. Akatsuki can't take away the memories of her favourite people. She was really stunned with this sense of security and happiness, at every moment she got, she took a step back and look at the ridiculous group of people that she was so glad to call her friends.

It was after riding the Thunder Mountain ride, they managed to secure a whole ride together. It was really lucky, but the cast member in charge of the ride allowed them to wait for a carriage so they could all fit. They exited the ride to the right and the boys were yelling in details which turn of the ride was their favourite. Eventually, at the last turn they saw the photo stall to see the photos from the ride. There were plenty of screens, but at the far end they recognised their odd colour palette. The screen at the photo booth were revealing all their expressions. They all took turns to laugh at each other's expressions.

"Neji-san! You have no change of facial expression!"

"Lee, the ride wasn't that scary."

"Hai hai! Ah Sakura, look at you! Your eyes are so wide!"

"Ha ha! They're wider than your forehead!"

"Urusai INO-PIG! Look at you! Your hair is a mess"

"Pfftt!"

"Women are so troublesome."

"Shut up Shikamaru! You don't look like you were unphased by this!"

"Haha! Shikamaru! Oh my gosh Chouji!"

"Sai! You look like Neji! Weren't you scared!?"

"Shino too! IT's unfair! Your glasses basically cover your face!"

They continued to bicker about who looked the most ridiculous. They each formed a queue and decided that they would definitely buy a photo each. Sakura decided to wait, since the group was so large she didn't see how much help it would be to stay in queue and congest it further. On one of the screens on the far right she saw something oddly familiar. No, it couldn't be possible. Before she could get to the screen, it had already changed. But it couldn't be possible. She must have imagined it. Think about it, there were no shortage of pale skinned boys with dark hair. This is Japan. But, that hair style. She had to drop it. But she wasn't hesitate enough to look around to see if the boy would appear.

"Forehead, come on! The lines short now!"

"Ah! Hai!"

For the rest of the day, that goal to be distracted from outside Disneyland failed. At every turn, at every ride, at every stop, she thought she saw a familiar boy in the corner of her eye. But her fears were confirmed when they were at the top of Cinderella's castle. They were all admiring the view, taking selfies, when Sakura spotted what she knew she had been searching for the whole time. While everyone was distracted, she made her exit and ran for her dear life. She saw him! He was standing still at Main Street USA. If she could just get her legs to push a little harder she could get there before he had a chance to leave.

In her little satchel she felt her phone vibrant. It must be Ino or Sai, but they have to wait. If she was right, it was who she thinks it is. This day and from this moment, things could change.

Through the crowd, she saw the back of his head. She was still too far to be sure, she was losing her breath but she has never felt so determined.

"SASUKE KUN!"

Her voice projected forward. She could feel the cluster of eyes facing her, but that didn't matter. The boy in front of her, only metres were slowly turning his head as well. Her fingers crushed her palms as she squeezed them into fists.

"Eh, Sasuke, do you know her?"

Sakura suddenly realised that the boy wasn't alone. But at least she knew definitively that it was him. He was standing with two other boys and another girl. A girl, who was she, she should ask. No, she couldn't let this opportunity go to miss. If only she could catch her breath to reply. Sasuke turned to look at her, it was really out of his character to be at Disneyland. But this was no time to argue.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto and I have been so worried, you could have messaged us! Where have you been!?"

Her voice sounded desperate, she stepped closer. Though, her steps were hesitant. She held her hands towards her chest closer, like she always did when she was a bit stressed and out of her comfort zone.

"Ah, so she was one of your old friends?"

She turned to his other companions. One was a tall boy, with a good build with a muddy hair colour that was brown but was also on the verge of orange. The other boy was not as tall, was rather lanky and had icy platnium hair, his grin was rather toothy. Finally there was the girl, who had her hands held at her hips, she had vibrant red hair and wore brown framed glasses. Just as Sakura's eyes were on her to analyse her, the red-head adjusted her glasses to rest further up the bridge of her nose. She looked downwards and took in a breath.

"Scram loser! Sasuke has chosen to leave you douches behind for us."

Sakura's heart stopped. That feeling of abandonment, as always.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura Chan! I found you."

As the voice carried on towards her, she heard steps rushing towards her. But just as they were accelerating towards her, there was a sudden halt just behind her.

"Sasuke! Teme! Is that you?"

Sasuke's head turned, unimpressed. Before she could make out his expression, a certain blonde boy had his head in the way. He got there fast. Sasuke's shirt was balled up into Naruto's fist. His teeth grinded together, and his eyebrows furrowed. This was the expression of anger which he expressed often but the level that it appeared right now was at a level she had rarely seen.

"Sakura-san, who is that boy?"

Her face turned to see Sai was standing by her. He was alone as well, but that was probably best as the scene was growing tense. If the others were here, she couldn't imagine what would happen. There would be a lot more yelling, a fight could start, but it looked like something was definitely going to go down before her. There was Sasuke face to face with Naruto. She could see that their eyes shared a scary amount of negative energy. What were they going to do with this?

They had glared at each other intensely, but within moments, Naruto was pushed to the floor, and they were separated with the tall boy standing in their way. Naruto's back to the ground, and there is definitely uncontrollable crowd gathering.

"Naruto!"

* * *

 **What did y'all think? A long chapter again. Next coming up soon!**

 **Read, Review, Favourite, tell all your friends! Who knows!**


	5. Chapter 5: Facebook

**Author Note: Sorry for the long wait, I had an internal debate on the direction I wanted to take this story. I didn't want it to be a true adaptation on the story from Naruto but at the same time I wanted to be loyal. I have always loved the characters and their actions as they were. I don't want to make them too out of character. Other than that, I'm currently underway on a Europe Trip for the next 2 months. I'm currently typing this chapter in a hostel in Portugal!**

* * *

Eyes forced shut, Sakura had her disheveled hair all over her pillows. She was lying in the comfort of her own bed, alone and contemplating the day's events. When she finally opened her eyes, her emerald orbs gazed out at her arms that stretched up to her ceiling, her fingers spread apart. Through the gaps of her fingers Sakura was focused on the glow in the dark stars that she must stuck up at a young age. She couldn't remember the last time she took notice of them, forgotten and possibly lost their luminosity over the years. She gazed at the smallest star, trying to remember when she seemed to take notice of the little things.

Her lungs were under pressure as she kept her breaths in. It was her own method of thinking, between each breath she fought to hold her breath in. The stress seemed to give her thoughts a level of clarity. It was late into the evening, her room was only lit by her bedroom lamp and the glow of the full moon outside. Despite the tired eyes that she had, her mind was ever so active. She didn't make an effort to sleep yet, still in the attire she wore to Disneyland. It was time to think back. If she couldn't sleep, she could at least be useful.

She recalled yelling Naruto's name until her throat ran dry. She recalled the number of Disneyland Castmembers that intervened, they pulled all members of the party apart. They were all forced into separation, however despite the growing distance, Naruto could not keep his large mouth shut. That even Sakura and Sai were pulled out of the park. The scene was humiliating, but it left her with so many thoughts and unanswered questions. The confrontation lead to nothing but disappointment and yearning. He was still in Tokyo it seemed, and from the sound of the conversation he was still here for a while. But when did he come back? And, Itachi didn't know. The only people who seemed to know about Sasuke's location were the people that were with him. The two boys and that girl.

The Girl. She looked familiar! Sakura's body shot upright. Her eyebrows almost met at the bridge of her nose, as she fought hard to remember. She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth as she gauged through her memories, a party? an event? a mutual friend?

Sakura's eyes suddenly lit up, without any hesitation, she ran towards her laptop at her desk. In one movement she opened it, opened a new tab to Facebook. Waiting for the rainbow ball of terror to stop spinning, as she hurried to type a name in the search bar, then scroll through an album, then looking for that familiar face.

There she was, looking coy and she wasn't even looking at the photographer for the photo. But that was alright, her glasses and her bright red hair was enough to identify her. There she was standing next to a group of other familiar faces, but they weren't important for her investigation at all. She hovered her cursor over her face hoping someone had tagged her. This photo was taken at an open day for the university she wanted to go to. There were hundreds of attendants that day, despite that Sakura held a hand to her heart hoping someone was able to identify her.

Sakura found her luck! A name popped up as her cursor covered the girls face.

"Karin Uzumaki"

"Uzumaki? Naruto?"

Sakura thought this to herself, but Naruto didn't seem to recognise the girl when he saw her. No, maybe he just didn't know her at all. She'll have to ask him next time she saw him, but first. Time for some facebook stalking.

Sakura, felt a little guilty doing such a mischievious act, but if this meant being able to track Sasuke. Maybe she should tell Itachi, he was a bit strange to her and only spoken cordially with him. But maybe she shouldn't, would that ruin her chances of seeing the boy again. As she was contemplating and evaluating what she should do with a thread of connection to him. She didn't want to think she was selfish keeping this information to herself. She did really want him to repair what he had grown up with. He didn't need to start a new life, he had a perfectly stable one here at Tokyo. But if he didn't come back soon or repair what he had with his brother, he wouldn't be able to ever return. Maybe he could do something to prevent what was happening to all the international schools too.

Sakura had Karin's facebook profile loaded, she didn't seem to be very savvy, as all her photos were out in public view. Sakura didn't seem to have many mutual friends with her. Just a few girls she met at the same event, but no one in her immediate circle of friends or anyone she could ask questions.

Her next move was to possibly locate Sasuke in her photos and investigate where he had been and who he has been seeing. Pressing through the arrow keys, she went through her mobile uploads. Many of which were selfies, they weren't distasteful, Karin clearly knew how to work the angles. This album didn't seem to have anything useful until the near end, when there were a few selfies with Sasuke's iconic hair in the background.

"2 hours until boarding * emojis*"

As she went further, there was one group photo that caught her eye. It was her, Sasuke and the two boys as well. They seemed to have been forced into the photo by Karin. But there also seemed to be another man in the photo. None of the other boys seemed to be tagged. But at least she knew one name, and it seemed they travelled together.

Sakura leaned back, she's going to visit Naruto.

* * *

Sorry short chapter, I didn't want to write too many themes in one chapter. But hey! An Update!


End file.
